Wole Soyinka, the Nobel laureate, has reacted to comments made by United States President Donald Trump over alleged persecution of Christians in Nigeria.

Speaking during an interview with Democracy Now, Soyinka said Trump’s sweeping statements distort the true picture of the conflict and risk deepening religious hostilities.

He said the situation should not be seen as a war between Christians and Muslims, but as a struggle against extremist groups that have weaponised religion for political and economic gain.

“We must separate Nigeria’s long-standing internal problems from President Trump’s recent response,” he said.

“The Christian–Islam, or Islam-versus-the-rest kind of dichotomy has existed for decades. It became truly horrendous when politics got mixed up with religious differences.”

Soyinka said political leaders had exploited religion for power and failed to hold extremists accountable, which allowed impunity to thrive.